A review of qualitative risk assessment in animal health: Suggestions for best practice.

Qualitative risk assessment (QRA) can provide decision support in line with the requirement for an objective, unbiased assessment of disease risk according to the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of the World Trade Organization. However, in order for a QRA to be objective and consistently applied it is necessary to standardize the approach as much as possible. This review considers how QRAs have historically been used for the benefit of animal health, what problems have been encountered during their progression, and considers best practice for their future use. Four main elements were identified as having been the subject of some proposed standard methodology: (i) the description of risk levels, (ii) combining probabilities, (iii) accounting for trade volume and time period, and (iv) uncertainty. These elements were addressed in different ways but were highlighted as being fundamental to improving the robustness in estimating the risk and conveying the results to the risk manager with minimal ambiguity. In line with this, several tools have been developed which attempt to use mathematical reasoning to incorporate uncertainty and improve the objectivity of the qualitative framework. This represents an important advance in animal health QRA. Overall, animal health QRAs have established their usefulness by providing a tool for rapid risk estimation which can be used to identify important chains of events and critical control points along risk pathways and inform risk management programmes as to whether or not the risk exceeds a decision-making threshold above which action should be taken. Ensuring a robust objective methodology is used and that the reasons for differences in results, such as assumptions and uncertainty are clearly described to the customer with minimal ambiguity is essential to maintain confidence in the QRA process. However, further work needs to be done to determine if one objective uniform methodology should be developed and considered best practice. To this end, a set of best practice guidelines presenting the optimal way to conduct a QRA and regulated by bodies such as the World Organization for Animal Health or the European Food Safety Authority would be beneficial.

Feedback of Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Care (FAPPC) trial: results of a real-world cluster randomized controlled trial in Scotland, UK.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of general practice-level prescribing feedback on antibiotic prescribing in a real-world pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Three hundred and forty general practices in four territorial Health Boards in NHS Scotland were randomized in Quarter 1, 2016 to receive four quarterly antibiotic-prescribing feedback reports or not, from Quarter 2, 2016 to Quarter 1, 2017. Reports included different clinical topics, benchmarking against national and health board rates, and behavioural messaging with improvement actions. The primary outcome was total antibiotic prescribing rate. There were 16 secondary prescribing outcomes and 5 hospital admission outcomes (potential adverse effects of reduced prescribing). The main evaluation timepoint was 1 year after the final report (Quarter 1, 2018), with an additional evaluation in the quarter after the final report (Quarter 2, 2017). Routine administrative NHS data were used to generate the feedback reports and analyse the effects. RESULTS: Total antibiotic prescribing rates were lower at the main evaluation timepoint in both intervention (1.83 versus baseline 1.93 prescriptions/1000 patients/day) and control (1.90 versus baseline 1.98) practices, with no evidence of intervention effect [adjusted rate ratio (ARR) 0.98 (95% CI 0.94-1.02; P = 0.35)]. At the additional timepoint, adjusted total antibiotic prescribing rates were 1.67 and 1.73 prescriptions/1000 patients/day, with evidence of a small intervention effect, ARR 0.99 (0.98-1.00; P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This well-designed, practice-level antibiotic-prescribing feedback had limited evidence of additional effects in the context of decreasing antibiotic prescribing and an established national stewardship programme.

HPV status and HPV16 viral load in anal cancer and its association with clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of anal cancer is increasing globally. Evidence-based improvement in early detection and management of this morbid cancer is thus required. In other cancers associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV), viral status and dynamics, including viral load (VL) has been shown to influence clinical outcome. Our aim was to determine the influence of HPV status and HPV16 VL on the clinical outcomes of anal cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 185 anal cancer lesions were genotyped for HPV. Of the HPV16 positive component, VL was determined using a digital droplet PCR assay. The association of qualitative HPV status and VL (low (<12.3), medium (12.3-57) and high (>57 copies/cell)) on overall survival and hazard of death was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 185 cases, 164 (88.6%) samples were HPV positive. HPV16 was detected in 154/185 samples (83.2%). HPV positive status was associated with improved overall survival in the univariate analysis [hazard ratio (HR) of 0.44, 0.23-0.82, p = 0.01]. When adjusted by age, sex, stage and response to treatment, the association of positive HPV status with improved survival remained (HR 0.24 [0.11-0.55] p < 0.001). High VL was associated with improved overall survival in the univariate analysis with a HR of 0.28 (0.11-0.71, p = 0.007). When adjusted only by age and sex, high VL was associated with better overall survival (HR 0.27, 0.11-0.68 p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: HPV status appears to be independently associated with improved outcomes in anal cancer patients. Moreover, HPV viral load quantification may be informative for further risk stratification and warrants further investigation.

Probabilistic microsimulation to examine the cost-effectiveness of hospital admission screening strategies for carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in the United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance has been recognised as a global threat with carbapenemase- producing-Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) as a prime example. CPE has similarities to COVID-19 where asymptomatic patients may be colonised representing a source for onward transmission. There are limited treatment options for CPE infection leading to poor outcomes and increased costs. Admission screening can prevent cross-transmission by pre-emptively isolating colonised patients. OBJECTIVE: We assess the relative cost-effectiveness of screening programmes compared with no- screening. METHODS: A microsimulation parameterised with NHS Scotland date was used to model scenarios of the prevalence of CPE colonised patients on admission. Screening strategies were (a) two-step screening involving a clinical risk assessment (CRA) checklist followed by microbiological testing of high-risk patients; and (b) universal screening. Strategies were considered with either culture or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. All costs were reported in 2019 UK pounds with a healthcare system perspective. RESULTS: In the low prevalence scenario, no screening had the highest probability of cost-effectiveness. Among screening strategies, the two CRA screening options were the most likely to be cost-effective. Screening was more likely to be cost-effective than no screening in the prevalence of 1 CPE colonised in 500 admitted patients or more. There was substantial uncertainty with the probabilities rarely exceeding 40% and similar results between strategies. Screening reduced non-isolated bed-days and CPE colonisation. The cost of screening was low in relation to total costs. CONCLUSION: The specificity of the CRA checklist was the parameter with the highest impact on the cost-effectiveness. Further primary data collection is needed to build models with less uncertainty in the parameters.

Vaccine effectiveness of live attenuated and trivalent inactivated influenza vaccination in 2010/11 to 2015/16: the SIVE II record linkage study.

BACKGROUND: There is good evidence of vaccine effectiveness in healthy individuals but less robust evidence for vaccine effectiveness in the populations targeted for influenza vaccination. The live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) has recently been recommended for children in the UK. The trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) is recommended for all people aged ≥ 65 years and for those aged < 65 years who are at an increased risk of complications from influenza infection (e.g. people with asthma). OBJECTIVE: To examine the vaccine effectiveness of LAIV and TIV. DESIGN: Cohort study and test-negative designs to estimate vaccine effectiveness. A self-case series study to ascertain adverse events associated with vaccination. SETTING: A national linkage of patient-level general practice (GP) data from 230 Scottish GPs to the Scottish Immunisation & Recall Service, Health Protection Scotland virology database, admissions to Scottish hospitals and the Scottish death register. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1,250,000 people. INTERVENTIONS: LAIV for 2- to 11-year-olds and TIV for older people (aged ≥ 65 years) and those aged < 65 years who are at risk of diseases, from 2010/11 to 2015/16. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures include vaccine effectiveness against laboratory-confirmed influenza using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), influenza-related morbidity and mortality, and adverse events associated with vaccination. RESULTS: Two-fifths (40%) of preschool-aged children and three-fifths (60%) of primary school-aged children registered in study practices were vaccinated. Uptake varied among groups [e.g. most affluent vs. most deprived in 2- to 4-year-olds, odds ratio 1.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.70 to 1.82]. LAIV-adjusted vaccine effectiveness among children (aged 2-11 years) for preventing RT-PCR laboratory-confirmed influenza was 21% (95% CI -19% to 47%) in 2014/15 and 58% (95% CI 39% to 71%) in 2015/16. No significant adverse events were associated with LAIV. Among at-risk 18- to 64-year-olds, significant trivalent influenza vaccine effectiveness was found for four of the six seasons, with the highest vaccine effectiveness in 2010/11 (53%, 95% CI 21% to 72%). The seasons with non-significant vaccine effectiveness had low levels of circulating influenza virus (2011/12, 5%; 2013/14, 9%). Among those people aged ≥ 65 years, TIV effectiveness was positive in all six seasons, but in only one of the six seasons (2013/14) was significance achieved (57%, 95% CI 20% to 76%). CONCLUSIONS: The study found that LAIV was safe and effective in decreasing RT-PCR-confirmed influenza in children. TIV was safe and significantly effective in most seasons for 18- to 64-year-olds, with positive vaccine effectiveness in most seasons for those people aged ≥ 65 years (although this was significant in only one season). FUTURE WORK: The UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended the use of adjuvanted injectable vaccine for those people aged ≥ 65 years from season 2018/19 onwards. A future study will be required to evaluate this vaccine. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN88072400. FUNDING: This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 24, No. 67. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

In Scotland, a new type of influenza vaccine (live attenuated influenza vaccine), administered via the nose, was introduced in 2014/15 for all children aged between 2 and 11 years. It can be difficult to evaluate any changes in health as a result of new immunisation programmes, given that randomised controlled trials of vaccines are impractical and can also be seen as unethical. These changes are therefore typically not evaluated, making it difficult to inform future policy in this field. Observational studies can be used to assess the effects of health-care interventions without influencing the care that is provided or affecting the people who receive it. An evaluation (effectiveness and safety) of this change in the immunisation programme was conducted. The vaccine programme, an inactivated vaccine administered as an injection, for other groups for whom the evidence available is limited was also evaluated [i.e. for people aged ≥ 65 years and people aged < 65 years who have a medical condition (e.g. asthma) that puts them at risk of severe illness from influenza]. The findings support the view that the intranasal vaccine is effective and safe in preventing influenza in children. The injectable vaccine in people aged < 65 years who are more at risk of complications from flu was safe and effective. Lower effectiveness was found in people aged ≥ 65 years. Both the injectable vaccine and the intranasal vaccine have high levels of uptake in the population offered vaccination. When considering these results, the important limitation of bias in observational study designs should be noted [for instance, residual confounding, whereby it is not possible to measure a characteristic of those people receiving the vaccine (e.g. being healthier)], and this is accounted for in this analysis.

Prevalence of cervical disease at age 20 after immunisation with bivalent HPV vaccine at age 12-13 in Scotland: retrospective population study.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the effect on cervical disease at age 20 years of immunisation with bivalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at age 12-13 years. DESIGN: Retrospective population study, 1988-96. SETTING: National vaccination and cervical screening programmes in Scotland. PARTICIPANTS: 138 692 women born between 1 January 1988 and 5 June 1996 and who had a smear test result recorded at age 20. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Effect of vaccination on cytology results and associated histological diagnoses from first year of screening (while aged 20), calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: 138 692 records were retrieved. Compared with unvaccinated women born in 1988, vaccinated women born in 1995 and 1996 showed an 89% reduction (95% confidence interval 81% to 94%) in prevalent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 or worse (from 0.59% (0.48% to 0.71%) to 0.06% (0.04% to 0.11%)), an 88% reduction (83% to 92%) in CIN grade 2 or worse (from 1.44% (1.28% to 1.63%) to 0.17% (0.12% to 0.24%)), and a 79% reduction (69% to 86%) in CIN grade 1 (from 0.69% (0.58% to 0.63%) to 0.15% (0.10% to 0.21%)). Younger age at immunisation was associated with increasing vaccine effectiveness: 86% (75% to 92%) for CIN grade 3 or worse for women vaccinated at age 12-13 compared with 51% (28% to 66%) for women vaccinated at age 17. Evidence of herd protection against high grade cervical disease was found in unvaccinated girls in the 1995 and 1996 cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Routine vaccination of girls aged 12-13 years with the bivalent HPV vaccine in Scotland has led to a dramatic reduction in preinvasive cervical disease. Evidence of clinically relevant herd protection is apparent in unvaccinated women. These data are consistent with the reduced prevalence of high risk HPV in Scotland. The bivalent vaccine is confirmed as being highly effective vaccine and should greatly reduce the incidence of cervical cancer. The findings will need to be considered by cervical cancer prevention programmes worldwide.

Risk stratification of cervical disease using detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) E4 protein and cellular MCM protein in clinical liquid based cytology samples.

BACKGROUND: While human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA testing offers high sensitivity for the detection of significant cervical disease, its specificity is suboptimal given the high prevalence of transient HPV infections (CIN1 or less). Biomarkers to identify those suffering from low grade disease from those with high grade disease could save healthcare costs and reduce patient anxiety. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present work was to develop and test an immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based dual viral and cellular biomarker strategy which was applicable to liquid based cytology (LBC) samples. STUDY DESIGN: We developed a novel IHC assay for detection of HPV E4 and cellular minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins in routinely taken cervical LBC samples using cytospin-prepared slides. The assay was applied to a prospective cohort of Scottish women referred to a colposcopy clinic due to preceding cytological abnormalities. The performance of the biomarkers for detection of clinically insignificant (CIN1 or less) versus significant disease was determined. RESULTS: A total of 81 women were recruited representing 64 cases of <=CIN1 and 28 of CIN2 + . Biomarker performance relative to histopathology outcomes showed high levels of MCM detection was significantly associated with CIN2+ (p = 0.03) while E4 was detected more frequently in <=CIN1 (p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: Combined detection of a host proliferation marker and a marker of viral gene expression could allow triage of cases of clinically insignificant disease prior to colposcopy. However, there was overlap between distributions of MCM levels in CIN2+ and <=CIN1 suggesting that additional biomarkers would be required for improved specificity. Combined with cytospin-prepared slides this approach could provide a means of risk stratification of disease in low resource settings.

Host chemokine signature as a biomarker for the detection of pre-cancerous cervical lesions.

BACKGROUND: The ability to distinguish which hrHPV infections predispose to significant disease is ever more pressing as a result of the increasing move to hrHPV testing for primary cervical screening. A risk-stratifier or "triage" of infection should ideally be objective and suitable for automation given the scale of screening. RESULTS: CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CXCL1, CXCL8 and CXCL12 emerged as the strongest, candidate biomarkers to detect underlying disease [cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+)]. For CIN2+, CCL2 had the highest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.722 with a specificity of 82%. A combined biomarker panel of six chemokines CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CXCL1, CXCL8, and CXCL12 provides a sensitivity of 71% and specificity of 67%. CONCLUSION: The present work demonstrates that the levels of five chemokine-proteins are indicative of underlying disease. We demonstrate technical feasibility and promising clinical performance of a chemokine-based biomarker panel, equivalent to that of other triage options. Further assessment in longitudinal series is now warranted. METHODS: A panel of 31 chemokines were investigated for expression in routinely taken archived and prospective cervical liquid based cytology (LBC) samples using Human Chemokine Proteomic Array kit. Nine chemokines were further validated using Procartaplex assay on the Luminex platform.

HPV status and favourable outcome in vulvar squamous cancer.

It is universally accepted that high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is the cause of cervical dysplasia and cancer. More recently, it has been shown that HPV is also a marker of clinical outcome in oropharyngeal cancer. However, contemporary information is lacking on both the prevalence of HPV infection in vulvar cancer (VSCC), its precursor lesion, vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) and the influence of HPV-status on the prognosis of this malignancy. We have conducted a detailed population-based study to examine rates of progression of VIN to VSCC, type-specific HPV prevalence in vulvar disease and the influence of HPV status on clinical outcome in VSCC. We observed that the age at which women are diagnosed with VSCC is falling and there is a significant time gap between first diagnosis of VIN and progression to invasive disease. HR-HPV infection was detected in 87% (97/112) cases of VIN and 52% cases (32/62) of VSCC. The presence of HR-HPV in squamous intraepithelial lesion was associated with lower rates of progression to invasive cancer (hazard ratio, 0.22, p = 0.001). In the adjusted analysis, HR-HPV was associated with improved progression-free survival of VSCC compared to those with HPV negative tumours (hazard ratio, 0.32, p = 0.02).

Effect of HPV assay choice on perceived prevalence in a population-based sample.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization programs clearly have considerable potential to reduce HPV-associated disease; they are also resource-intense; so, it is essential that their effectiveness is determined accurately and in a timely way. Measuring circulating HPV types in a population can provide an early measure of vaccine impact. We assessed the impact of HPV assay on the observed population prevalence of HPV in women who provided samples as part of a National HPV Immunisation Surveillance Exercise. A total of 1145 liquid-based cytology samples, 326 self-taken swabs, and 371 urine samples were tested with a line-blot assay (the Digene reverse hybridization HPV genotyping assay) and a luminex-based assay (the Mulitmetrix HPV genotyping assay). Assay agreement was determined for the different sample types. Positivity (according to assay) was compared at different levels ranging from positive for HPV 16 and/or 18 to positive for any one of the 18 HPV types common to both assays. The luminex assay consistently detected a higher prevalence of HPV--up to 10% for HPV types common to both assays. In addition, disagreement for HPV 16 and/or 18 was observed in around 9% of the overall sample, with an associated κ score of 0.74. These data indicate that assay choice has a significant impact on observed prevalence of HPV, including vaccine types. The impact of any change of assay during longitudinal surveillance programs should thus be taken into account to avoid confounding the assessment of any vaccine-induced changes.

Nasal swab screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus--how well does it perform? A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) detections identified by nasal swabbing using agar culture in comparison with multiple body site testing using agar and nutrient broth culture. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PATIENTS: Adult patients admitted to 36 general specialty wards of 2 large hospitals in Scotland. METHODS: Patients were screened for MRSA via multiple body site swabs (nasal, throat, axillary, perineal, and wound/invasive device sites) cultured individually on chromogenic agar and pooled in nutrient broth. Combined results from all sites and cultures provided a gold-standard estimate of true MRSA prevalence. RESULTS: This study found that nasal screening performed better than throat, axillary, or perineal screening but at best identified only 66% of true MRSA carriers against the gold standard at an overall prevalence of 2.9%. Axillary screening performed least well. Combining nasal and perineal swabs gave the best 2-site combination (82%). When combined with realistic screening compliance rates of 80%-90%, nasal swabbing alone probably detects just over half of true colonization in practice. Swabbing of clinically relevant sites (wounds, indwelling devices, etc) is important for a small but high-prevalence group. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal swabbing is the standard method in many locations for MRSA screening. Its diagnostic efficiency in practice appears to be limited, however, and the resource implications of multiple body site screening have to be balanced against a potential clinical benefit whose magnitude and nature remains unclear.

Acceptability and response to a postal survey using self-taken samples for HPV vaccine impact monitoring.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility and acceptance of a postal survey to measure human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and monitor vaccine impact, using self-taken specimens from young women who do not attend their first cervical screening appointment. METHODS: Focus groups informed the survey design identifying factors that would influence acceptability. Postal testing kits were sent to a nationally representative sample of unscreened women. Overall response rate, the influence of different specimen types (urine or vaginal swab) and the receipt of a reminder letter on participation were calculated. Specimens were tested anonymously for HPV. Individual test results were not provided. RESULTS: Of 5500 kits sent, 725 were returned (13.2%). Fifty-two women actively opted out. There was a higher return rate for urine kits (13.7% vs 12%) and from those who received a reminder letter (15.5% vs 12.2%). Response was influenced by deprivation (10.3% in the most deprived quintile vs 16.2% in the least). Overall weighted HPV prevalence was 35.9% (40.0% from swab specimens and 31.9% from urine). CONCLUSIONS: Some women were willing to participate in anonymised postal testing. However, the low uptake means that HPV prevalence results are difficult to interpret for ongoing surveillance. Monitoring HPV vaccine impact outwith the cervical screening programme remains challenging.

A pilot study of the use of near-patient C-Reactive Protein testing in the treatment of adult respiratory tract infections in one Irish general practice.

BACKGROUND: New approaches are being sought to safely reduce community antibiotic prescribing. A recent study demonstrated that CRP testing resulted in decreased antibiotic prescribing for lower respiratory tract infection in primary care. There is little other published primary care data available evaluating CRP in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections in routine clinical practice. This pilot study aims to describe the performance of near-patient CRP testing, in a mixed payments health system. Specific areas to be reviewed included the integrity of the study protocol, testing of data collection forma and acceptability of the intervention. PATIENTS: Patients over the age of 18 years, with acute cough and/or sore throat with a duration of one month or less, in routine clinical practice. DESIGN: A pilot with a cross-sectional design. The first 60 recruited patients were treated with routine clinical management, and GP's had no access to a CRP test. For the subsequent 60 patients, access to CRP testing was available. PARTICIPANTS: 3 GP's in one Irish primary care practice recruited 120 patients, fulfilling the above criteria over five months, from January 1 to May 31, 2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was antibiotic prescription at the index consultation. Secondary outcomes were the numbers of delayed prescriptions issued, patient satisfaction immediately after consultation and re-consultations and antibiotic prescriptions during 28 days follow-up. RESULTS: The protocol and data collection forms worked well and the intervention of CRP testing appeared acceptable. Thirty-five (58%) patients in the no-test group received antibiotic prescriptions compared to 27 (45%) in the test group. Both groups demonstrated similarly high level of patient satisfaction (85%). Fourteen (23%) patients in the CRP test group re-attended within 28 days compared to 9 (15%) in the no-CRP test group. CONCLUSION: This pilot study confirms the potential feasibility of a full trial in Irish general practice. Further consideration of possible increased re-attendance rates in a mixed payments health system is appropriate. We intend to pursue a larger trial in a newly established regional primary care research network.

WestREN: a description of an Irish academic general practice research network.

BACKGROUND: Primary care research networks have been established internationally since the 1960s to enable diverse practitioners to engage in and develop research and education and implement research evidence.The newly established Western Research and Education Network (WestREN) is one such network consisting of a collaboration between the Discipline of General Practice at NUI Galway and 71 West of Ireland general practices. In September 2009 all member practices were issued with a questionnaire with two objectives: to describe the structure and characteristics of the member practices and to compare the results to the national profile of Irish general practice. METHODS: A postal survey was used followed by one written and one email reminder. RESULTS: A response rate of 73% (52/71) was achieved after two reminders.Half of practices were in a rural location, one quarter located in an urban setting and another quarter in a mixed location.Ninety-four per cent of general practitioners practice from purpose-built or adapted premises with under 6% of practices being attached to the general practitioner's residence. Over 96% of general practitioners use appointment systems with 58% using appointment only.All practices surveyed were computerised, with 80% describing their practices as 'fully computerised'. Almost 60% of general practitioners are coding chronic diagnoses with 20% coding individual consultations. Twenty-five per cent of general practitioners were single-handed with the majority of practices having at least two general practitioners, and a mean number of general practitioners of 2.4. Ninety-two per cent of practices employed a practice nurse with 30% employing more than one nurse.Compared to the national profile, WestREN practices appear somewhat larger, and more likely to be purpose-built and in rural areas. National trends apparent between 1982 and 1992, such as increasing computerisation and practice nurse availability, appear to be continuing. CONCLUSIONS: WestREN is a new university-affiliated general practice research network in Ireland. Survey of its initial membership confirms WestREN practices to be broadly representative of the national profile and has provided us with valuable information on the current and changing structure of Irish general practice.